The door shut automatically behind him and as he looked at the screens in front of him and they flashed with their data, he began to feel better immediately. He took a deep breath because suddenly his lungs were finally able to draw in air. This. This was home. This was where he belonged. Not out there in the world but in here with his machines, as they chattered and talked to him. This was a language he understood.
He pulled out his thousand-dollar ergonomic chair and sank down into it then, with a few clicks on his keyboard, everything was unlocked and he was inside his private system.
He frowned as he looked around though because nobody should be this much of a ghost. Whatever Kelly did for a living or whoever he had backing him? There was some clout there, big time.
But nobody was good enough to hide from Cole Gillette.
And Kelly Miller Braddock was about to find that out first hand.
Chapter Six
“Talk to me, Goose,” Billy said when he answered the phone.
Caleb barked out a laugh, “Nice. Hey, kid. I need you to design me a program. And a business background for me and Hawke. And get us a meeting with Loc/Key Enterprises.”
Billy frowned, “I thought you were just going to be surveilling?”
“Yeah, well, the fucker never leaves his fortress. We need to get inside. And the only way to do that is to get a face to face.”
“Hmmm, so he’s a shut-in?”
“Yeah, didn’t your research show that?”
“Yeah, about that. My research shows he ceased to exist when he was seventeen,” Billy said.
“What? You mean he died?”
“No, I mean he just disappeared off of the face of the planet.”
“How does a seventeen-year-old kid do that?”
“If he’s a computer whiz, it’s not that difficult.”
“Even back then?”
“Yeah, even back then. But here’s the thing that’s bothering me, Caleb. Something had to happen to get him at that point, something traumatic, something devastating. Whatever that was? I haven’t been able to find it yet. Unless….”
“Unless, what?”
“Well, I did find this article in the local newspaper archives. There aren’t any names because of the circumstances but it talks about three local teen boys being questioned in relation to the assault and rape of another teen boy but no charges being filed due to the fact that the assault victim had disappeared.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“Yeah.”
“Has anyone else seen that?”
“Not yet.”
“Can you send it to me?”
Caleb heard typing and then, “It’s on its way.”
“Thanks. Hey, Billy?”
“Yeah?”
“I need to see this guy. I need to meet him.”
“Yeah, okay. Let me run it by the guys. I’m heading down for a meeting with them right now. I’ll call you back in an hour?”
“Sounds good,” Caleb said then he ended the call.
Caleb sighed and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes as a feeling of unease wove through his body.
But then strong fingers gripped his shoulders, warm lips pressed against the top of his head, Dean whispered, “Everything, okay?” and just like that the unease fled his body.
“It is now,” he said with a smile as he tilted his head up to look into the eyes of his love. Even though their time together had been short, this man was so firmly weaved into every fiber of Caleb’s being that he couldn’t remember a time when he wasn’t there. And that was just fine with him. “You okay with hanging out a little longer?” he said.
Dean moved to the side and sat in a chair next to Caleb, “I go where you go, babe. Why? What’s up?”
“Hawke and I need to go undercover.”
“Undercover, how?”
“With a sales pitch to Cole Gillette’s software security firm.”
“Are you tech savvy enough for that?”
“Hope so. Gonna have to be. Don’t see another way in. The man is a shut-in. He never leaves his building. Not ever.”
Dean looked away, biting his lip as he mumbled, “There might be another way.”
“How?”
“I’m sure he uses an escort service.”
Caleb was quiet for a moment as those words penetrated his brain and then, “Oh hell no, fuck no, you can’t be fucking serious, babe?” he shouted. “You’d cheat on me for a fucking case?” Caleb was up on his feet pacing the kitchen now as his arms flew everywhere.
“Me? Not me. I figured you’d know some single guys at that firm you worked at here. Hell no, not me. I’d never do that to you, Cale, not ever,” Dean said as he pushed to his feet and walked over to wrap his arms around his agitated man. Caleb was shaking as Dean pressed his lips to his neck, “Jesus, Cale, I know we’re still new but fuck, I love you babe. I would never, ever put any case above you or what we have, not ever.”
Caleb pulled him close, “I’m sorry. I just grew up with so much cheating in my life with my dad that I guess it’s kind of a trigger for me, almost like I expect it to happen. I shouldn’t’ve flown to that conclusion when you said that. I should’ve asked first. I’m sorry and I love you so much.”
“Do you?” Dean said.
“Love you? Of course, I do,” Caleb said as he pulled back to look into Dean’s smiling face.
“No, do you know any single men who might be able to go undercover as an escort?”
“Oh, possibly. That’s a good idea. First we’ll need to find out what service he uses and what type of man he goes for.”
“Oh, the type of man is easy.”
“It is?”
“Yeah, there’s that guy from his past, the one he’s after, right? I guarantee he’s been hung up on him this whole time and that’s what all of the escorts look like.”
Caleb blinked at him as he stared.
“What?” Dean finally said.
“You are absolutely amazing, you know that, right?”
A blush filled Dean’s cheeks as he tried to look away but Caleb caught his chin and turned it back, “No, I mean it, babe. Hawke and I have done all the college, the investigative training and all that shit. But you? You did everything on your own. All of this that you do is on instinct, it’s in your gut, you were born with it. That’s pretty fucking amazing, babe.”
A small smile lit up Dean’s face, “Thanks,” he whispered.
“Alright you two, stop fucking in my kitchen,” Hawke said as he stepped into the room with Talon in tow.
“We’re not fucking, yet, brother, and it’s my kitchen.”
TomAto, to-mah-to,” Hawke said with a wave of his hand.
“Dean has a theory about the case,” Caleb said.
Hawke pulled a bottled water from the fridge, took a sip then looked at the two men, “Oh yeah? And that is?”
“Maybe a better way in would be through escorts, specifically someone who looks like Kelly.”
Hawke looked over at Dean, “That’s a good idea, bro. I like the way you think.”
Caleb smiled, “Yeah, me too. Why don’t you call Billy and ask him to start searching for what escort company that Cole goes through and I’ll call Morgan and ask if he’s got any single guys on staff that we could borrow for a day or two,” he said as he slid his phone out of his pocket.
“Look at us, making shit work,” Hawke said with a smile as he winked at Caleb and brought his phone up to his ear.
Caleb smiled at him because, yeah, truer words had never been said. Here they were, working together and not wanting to tear each other’s heads off. This was something he’d longed for and now here it was, their reality. And he knew it was all because of the two men looking adoringly at both of them. Both Talon and Dean had changed them, grounded them, calmed them and from that they were able to find that the common ground between them that they both had been missing for years.
Chapter Seven
Blake stared up at the house as he
climbed out of his car. He could hear voices inside, quite a few of them, and from the number of cars he could see scattered throughout the yard that didn’t surprise him.
He took a deep breath. He wasn’t used to all this….social shit. He worked alone. But this was a good opportunity to work with an amazing team. He could do this.
He walked towards the house and stepped up onto the porch. Just as he raised his hand to knock, the front door was pulled open and an incredibly handsome man stood smiling at him, “Are you Blake?” he said as he pushed open the screen.
“I am.”
“Good to meet you. I’m JD Preston-Whitman, Brent’s husband and the co-leader of this merry band of brothers.”
Blake shook his hand as he stepped inside, “Nice to meet…..,” he paused when his eyes scanned to the right into the living room and he spotted the hottest man he’d ever seen in his life, “you,” he finished when he miraculously managed to find his voice again even though all of his blood seemed to have rushed south right into his dick.
WHAT. THE. FUCK?
He’d found guys hot before, lots of times. Hell, Brent and Drake from the night before were smokin’ hot. But this guy? Nobody had ever made Blake go from zero to rock-fucking-hard at first glance. He was torn between needing to know who the hell this man was and being terrified to know who he was.
Blake forced his gaze away from the man who was completely throwing him for a loop and looked back at JD, who was grinning at him like he could see everything that Blake was feeling.
He turned away from the man’s gaze and looked towards the front door as he thought, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
Just as he was making the decision to walk back out the door, JD gently gripped his shoulder and he said, “Come on back so I can introduce you to the rest of the team, okay?”
The man’s voice was so kind and gentle.
Blake squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. He could do this.
“Yeah, okay,” he said as he turned his gaze back to JD.
JD pointed to a hallway, “Down this way. Everyone is in the dining room.”
Blake nodded and began walking that way, sparing one quick final glance at the man still seated on the couch with two other men as they quietly spoke. That huge man – even sitting Blake could tell that he was well over six-foot, with thick, muscular, tree-trunk arms and legs - whose size alone should scare the shit out of Blake but instead it turned him on more than anything ever had in his entire life.
But it also kind of pissed him off.
Because it messed with his control, his discipline.
And Blake Thornton was a man who clung to his control. He wrapped it around his body like a second skin. Because his control was everything to him, it was all he had.
He glanced up and found JD waiting for him in a doorway down the hall with a smile on his face, actually it was a smirk, like he had caught Blake doing something naughty or wrong.
Blake never did anything wrong, not ever.
He frowned at JD and huffed out a breath as he stepped forward and stepped into the room.
“Ah, Blake, I’m so glad you made it,” Drake said as he stood up from one of the chairs and walked over to shake Blake’s hand. He put his hand on Blake’s shoulder, “Everyone, this is Blake Thornton, special agent with the FBI, he’s going to join our team.”
Drake went around the room, introducing Cain, Connor and Kelly Braddock, Ben, Billy and Travis. And on Skype from their new place in Wyoming were Storm, Mac, Cooper, Riley, Trent and Sky. And then….
“Sorry we’re late,” one of the two other men who had been sitting in the living room with that tall drink of water that still had Blake’s head spinning, walked into room. “And here are Ranger and Logan,” Drake said as he introduced them, “Why don’t you guys start us off since I’m pretty sure I’m going to put Blake on your case.”
Logan’s eyes scanned up and down Blake’s body, not in a sexual way but as if he were assessing him, “Yeah? Okay,” he said as he and Ranger sat down at the table. He nodded to Billy who typed on his keyboard and then the screen where the Wyoming Skype call was on split to the right side and on the left the photo of a hand-written note appeared.
“This is the first threatening note that our client, Maynard Tiny Murphy, received on the windshield of his car.”
“When?” someone asked.
“Approximately ten days ago,” Logan said as the picture changed to show another note.
“Motive?”
“Not sure. Could be money, our client is not lacking.”
“But none of these notes are asking for it,” Blake said with a frown as the photos continued to change until he saw the final, most threatening one.
“We know, that’s what’s odd.”
“But they’re definitely escalating,” Blake said as he pushed from his chair to walk closer to the screen, “This seems more personal in nature. It’s someone toying and yet threatening at the same time. Could it be a former lover?”
Logan shook his head, “We don’t believe so. The man has never had any long-term relationships, his hook ups have all been very discreet and without names and he’s hasn’t had any in almost a year.”
Blake looked back at the note on the screen and frowned again, “Does he hook up with men or women?”
He figured that was a fair question but when it was answered with nothing but silence he turned back to find both Ranger and Logan just staring at him.
“What?” he said.
“Why would you ask that?” Logan said.
“Was that wrong?” he said with a frown as his eyes bounced to Drake.
Logan shook his head, “Not at all, it’s just, before I answer, I’m curious to know what made you think to ask that?”
Blake looked back at the note, “I’m just sensing an underlying sexual aggression here, like the author is pissed that Murphy is the way he is. And that could mean that the author is a woman who went out with him a time or two but then somehow figured out that Murphy is gay or it could be a guy that he hooked up with and the guy is pissed that Murphy is in the closet.”
“Why not a woman who he fucked and she’s pissed that he won’t commit to her?”
Blake shook his head, “No. That would end with his car being keyed, his tires slashed or something posted on Facebook or Instagram. Not something this subtle.”
Logan turned his head towards Drake, “Where the fuck did you find this guy?”
Drake just smiled at him, “I know, right?”
“Uh, can someone clue me in, please?” Blake said.
Logan looked back at him, “Are you a profiler?”
Blake snorted a laugh, “I fucking wish, but no.”
“You should be. You were dead spot on here. Yes, he’s a gay man but he’s deep, deep in the closet. He used to be a member of a large motorcycle gang and had to stay hidden to stay alive. Covered it by hooking up with a few women here and there but would scratch his itch with hook ups in gay clubs far away from where he lived. He’s been out of the gang for a few years now but is still trying to shake off that fear of having to hide all the time so his only recent hook ups have still been discreet.”
“No women since he got out then?”
“No, not since he got out.”
Blake looked back at the screen, “Hmm, this could be one from his past but something tells me no. This feels more like a guy who’s pissed that he got used and discarded or ignored when he wanted more and now he’s saying that he can take what he wants whether Murphy likes it or not.”
“I agree,” Logan said.
“So, what’s the plan?” Blake said.
Drake stepped into the conversation, “You, Blake, are going to stay with Mister Murphy in his home, while Ranger and Logan continue their investigation. Yes, it sounds like glorified bodyguard duties but it’ll be more than that. You’ll talk to the subject, spend time with him, get to know him and that will assist us with figuring out who is behi
nd these threats. And at the same time, you will be guarding him, okay?”
Blake nodded his head, “Sure. When do I meet him?”
“Right now,” Logan said as he turned his head towards the door to the hall, “Hey, Tiny, can you come in here?”
Blake’s heart started pounding in his chest as he heard the heavy footsteps coming down the hall.
Fate couldn’t be that fucking cruel, could she?
He swallowed hard as he saw the shadow of the approaching man as it passed along the wall.
Motherfucking shit. He couldn’t do this.
No fucking way.
His head quickly turned to see if by some miracle there was another exit out of that room, some way for him to escape what had now become his nightmare. But, nope, he quickly realized that the only way out was past the well over six-foot-tall, green eyed, dark hair that was shaved on the sides and longer on top, wall of a man who was currently staring right at Blake with his arms across his chest as his thick muscled body blocked the doorway.
“Blake Thornton meet Tiny Murphy.”
Blake dipped his chin in a nod and Tiny did the same.
And then Blake had to pinch his lips together because he almost laughed out loud as he thought back to what Brent had said the night before, Come on, Blake, give us a shot, it’ll be good for you.
Well, be careful what you wish for, Blake Thornton because it just might be more than you can handle…..
Chapter Eight
Noah wiped his palms on his jeans and then lifted his fist to knock on the door.
Light blue eyes in a handsome face that looked beaten down by life, or maybe something more, underneath a head full of soft, blonde wavy hair, blinked at him for a few seconds before the man whispered, “You’re not Trevor.”
“Yeah, um, he came down with the stomach flu. I’m Noah,” he said as he smiled. He didn’t stick out his hand in greeting though because he’d been told that the man looking back at him touched, but didn’t like to be touched.
In other words, everything that happened was on his terms.
Severe Side Winds Ahead Page 4
